I've heard about some puberty things in Asian girls that are different than caucasian girls. Just wondering if our RQers with girls closer to that age (or any Asian women here) would like to chime in...you don't have to share any scary personal stories. LOL.

I've always heard is that there is much less body hair and that there is no need for deodorant in Asian girls around puberty. Are those things true? I'd love to smell like a rose all the time.

Also, I've heard in general that some of our adopted girls can go through early puberty -- something to do with the lack of nutrition early on, and then the gigantic growth spurts experienced after adoption (and good nutrition).

I know in the grand scheme of things these items probably aren't that big of a deal, but I just want to be prepared and know what to expect.

Very little hair to shave on my legs, which is fairly typical. My Husband laughs when I say my legs are hairy if I don't shave them for a week. He says, yeah, 12 hairs per leg is a real problem. Though one of my nieces in China is the opposite extreme as she has lots and lots of leg hair. So you are going to see a range on this in Chinese women. Arm pits, well I have keep those babies shaved for sure.

In general Chinese women have very little body odor compared to westerners. I have never used deodorant, and have never had to. Most importantly, never had any complaints. TMI probably, but my husband says my under arm faintly smells like warm butter.

I grew up in China before the modernization era, and in a time when food was very basic, with many items on permanent rationing (like eggs, milk, some meats, etc). An era that was definitely no where near the nutrition levels westerners are accustomed to. I started puberty at a little over age 12. Of course none of the food was the product of modern agriculture either, no hormones, no fertilizers, etc. either. I would be more expecting early onset puberty on a Western diet given how the food industry accelerates everything chemically. I have not observed any of the young teenagers in my extended family in the US begin puberty before age 11 so far though.

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Life is a fatal complaint, and an eminently contagious one. - Oliver Wendell Holmes

In general Chinese women have very little body odor compared to westerners. I have never used deodorant, and have never had to. Most importantly, never had any complaints. TMI probably, but my husband says my under arm faintly smells like warm butter.

OK, I don't know if I should be really envious of all the money you've saved on deodorant, or cracking up at the mental image of your dh sniffing your armpits. Just kidding...thanks for the really helpful insights.

I have nothing useful to add to the discussion, but found it hilarious that the ad at the bottom of my page was for a "booty call." What caused that, the armpit sniffing? I knew I was out of it, but wow!

On the hair topic......my dd is only 2.5 yrs. but she does not have ANY hair on her arms or legs.......not even 1 straggler or peach fuzz or anything.......is that usual or will she get some arm hair later?

OK, my Asian step family claim that they do not smell LOL and have little to know hair. My stepbrother commented that Western women have a more pungent smell than what he was use to. I have also heard this from other family members. My neighbor's grand-daughter justed recently married a guy from China (beautiful wedding) and she says he does not need to wear deodorant either. This is what they told me.

I am half Asian. Puberty hit at 11 yo. No hair on legs or arms...hardly visible. But lots of pit hair. Being half Caucasian I went through puberty about 1-2 years earlier than my Asian friends at school. For some reason, my half-breed body chemistry seems to have caused heavy duty body odor in puberty. There was a rumor (not sure if true) that mixed race kids had bad body odor issues. But, now come to think of it, maybe the rumor started because my Asian friends had NO body odor. Thank goodness the B.O. problem has diminished except for if I eat too much garlic or onions. Okay. I'm getting into TMI territory now.

This is an interesting thread because I've thought my now 22 month old could have used her legs shaved since we adopted her at 9 months! She was covered in fine dark hair when we met her but most of that is gone now and attributed to malnutrition by our doctor. THe leg hair remains

On the hair topic......my dd is only 2.5 yrs. but she does not have ANY hair on her arms or legs.......not even 1 straggler or peach fuzz or anything.......is that usual or will she get some arm hair later?

She likely will never have any then. I have virutually no hair on my arms at all, and never have.

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Life is a fatal complaint, and an eminently contagious one. - Oliver Wendell Holmes

This thread is both informative and funny! My daughter is 2.5 and doesn't show much body hair yet, not that I would have expected it. But I will say that from the get-go she has had a slight monobrow, and someday she will be close friends with her waxologist, or ask for laser hair removal for her 13th birthday. Bangs are her friend.

I must have gotten the one furry child from China. She had a mustache at 14 months, and the back hair is another topic altogether. However, her arms and legs are nice and smooth. She'll be getting a gift certificate to the waxologist before her first prom, if not sooner.

Interesting, I never noticed the ads and the way they coincide with the topic until this thread. Now I know where to go to make a date with an Asian woman who uses Nair and Secret.

In general Chinese women have very little body odor compared to westerners. I have never used deodorant, and have never had to. Most importantly, never had any complaints. TMI probably, but my husband says my under arm faintly smells like warm butter.

In an attempt to change the ads . . . Apple Dumplings, Red Eared Sliders and the Boston Red Sox. I hope it works.

Ummmmm... Nope. I copied it again to see if we can get ads about Red-eared sliders who are fans of the Red Sox and love apple dumplings. Actually, other than the ads I've found this thread interesting. It never ever occurred to me that there would be differences in puberty with my daughter.

Well our DD now 20 months old and home for a year already smells pretty funky after she's been outside playing so I think she will be needing deodorant, unless something changes. She has smooth arms and legs but has pretty heavy eye brows and some stray dark hairs (hopefully they will lighten up?) on her forehead.

I must have gotten the one furry child from China. She had a mustache at 14 months, and the back hair is another topic altogether. However, her arms and legs are nice and smooth. She'll be getting a gift certificate to the waxologist before her first prom, if not sooner.

yeah, no moustache, but my daughter has a lot of little dark hairs on her upper back. The Pediatrician assures me most of it will fall out or fade out as she grows, most likely as her blue spots fade as well. My husband likes to point out that I have little dark hairs on my upper back too and that the daughter does not fall far from the mommy tree as far as he is concerned.

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Life is a fatal complaint, and an eminently contagious one. - Oliver Wendell Holmes

I also have very minimal body hair. You'd have to look really close, in bright light, to see anything on my arms, and really close to see anything on my legs. And there really are about 12 hairs, which I'll shave every month or so. Sometimes if it's more convenient I'll just pluck them with the tweezers.

Armpits I shave everyday, though I don't think they're as hairy as non-Asian pits. But when you grow up in America, you just kind of get a complex about it, I think.

Body odor is, I think, minimal, but again, growing up in America I just use antiperspirant every day "just in case." On days where I might skip a day, I'd notice a smell, but nothing overpowering or bad. I'm not sure if it compares to warmed butter, but, I do kind of like the smell, or at least, don't mind it.

My brother is pretty much the same. Minimal body hair, and he says he has no BO.